VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s workforce has reached unprecedented levels, driven largely by a surge in Maltese women and older people entering employment—even as foreign workers continued to account for most new jobs, a Central Bank report shows. The study finds that the past decade saw the biggest rise in Maltese workers ever recorded, matching the combined growth of the previous 30 years. Without this mobilisation, the number of Maltese in work would have stayed below 160,000 instead of surpassing 201,000 in 2023. The most dramatic shift came from Maltese women.
Employment among women below pension age rose by 25% between 2013 and 2023, fuelled by reforms such as the 2014 free childcare scheme. Childcare attendance jumped from 1,800 to nearly 9,000, allowing younger mothers to avoid long career breaks. The Central Bank estimates the reform added 6,200 women to the workforce. Older women also stayed in work longer thanks to pension changes and the 2017 top-up scheme, which sharply reduced retirement exits at 61 and 63. Older workers overall remain Malta’s largest untapped labour source, though many face skills barriers, with nearly 60% holding only lower-secondary education or less.
Maltese workers increasingly moved into higher-skilled sectors. Professional services, public administration, education, health, finance, and ICT all saw strong domestic growth. Traditional sectors—manufacturing, construction, retail, transport, accommodation, and food services—became heavily reliant on foreign labour as Maltese workers shifted toward better-paid roles. The report warns that Malta is nearing the limit of labour-supply gains from younger cohorts. Future growth will depend on upskilling older workers to meet demand in high-value industries, or the country risks deepening reliance on foreign labour.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
